Friday, August 29, 2014

My lone August post...

Hello, hello! Did you miss me? I've missed you! It's hard to believe a month has passed since my last post. August was a bit of an up and down month for me--the first part was very busy with work and extra doctor's appointments to deal with some weird health issues. The second part has been more relaxing with a week at the beach and a string of sunny, non-humid days--absolutely the best weather we've had all summer--finally! I've done a bit of stitching along the way, but seem to really have more time to sit down with my needle and thread in the winter months. So, would you like to see what I've been up to?

I was delighted to see the 2014 Prairie Schooler Santa this year--he's a caroler! (Yes, I'm a bit partial to carols and caroling for some reason--I wonder why?). The newest PS Santa was my beach stitching this year. Although I tried to stitch in the car on the 10-hour drive down to Corolla, NC, I didn't have much luck. I'm not sure if the road was too bumpy or it was just too hard to deal with the 40 ct. fabric without better lighting. So, this Santa got stitched over a number of days while I was away on vacation--usually just an hour or two each morning. What a great way to start my day!

2014 Prairie Schooler Santa

I used the suggested DMC colors on 40 ct. flax Newcastle, but I had to substitute the green color with DMC 500 since I had no 501. I did make a few changes, though: I gave Santa a green and white striped scarf instead of the solid green, made his mouth more of an oval shape instead of the square shape that was charted, changed the color of the wording and border to DMC 844, and changed the ribbon on the top package from red to gold. The ornament is backed with the plaid fabric you can see in the lower right corner of the photo below. I'm so pleased with how he turned out...

Before we left for the beach in mid-August, I made a birthday gift for my dear friend, Lois, in Northern Ireland. I was thrilled to hear from her that it only took one week to arrive--now that is great mail service on both sides of the Atlantic! This is what I stitched for Lois as I thought she would enjoy the colors and the sampler-like motifs. It was my first time stitching the Spider Web Roses and I'm so pleased with how they turned out.

Ewe and Eye and Friends "Petite Exemplary No. 2"

This piece is called "Petite Exemplary No. 2" by Ewe and Eye and Friends and is stitched on 40 ct. flax Newcastle using the suggested DMC threads. I really enjoyed all the specialty stitches in this one--they add such interest and dimension to a tiny piece. Here is a better look at the Spider Web Roses:

I wasn't quite sure how to finish this one for Lois, but finally decided on a scissor fob. I used DMC in the darker color of the house to make the cording and the pretty floral fabric shown to back the fob. Lois loved my gift and I just want to wish her a very "Happy Birthday" once again!

I was looking through my drawer of "unfinished/finishes" the other day (you do all have those, too, right?) and found a little Santa that I had stitched way back in 2009--the year I began my blog! Oh, the poor thing--he's been shut up in the dark all these years. Time to pull him out, finish him up, and get him ready to hang on the Christmas tree in December. This is from the Cricket Collection's "Woolen Mittens" chart. The backing fabric is the cute black and white polka dot that you see underneath the ornament. In some ways, I'm glad I held off on finishing him because I've gotten more confident in my
finishing skills over the past five years and I think he looks better
now than he would have looked had I tackled him back in 2009!

Cricket Collection "Santa Mitten" finish

I'm also working on a larger piece, but have run into a snafu! I think I'll show you that next time and get your opinions on just what you think I should do...

BEACH WEEK 2014... Well, this year marked the 30th year that we have traveled down to the Outer Banks of North Carolina with my husband's entire family... How the group has grown! I think there were only 12 of us the first year, but now with added grandchildren and great-grandchildren, our group numbered 25 this year! Only my middle son and my niece's husband were unable to make the trip due to work responsibilities. (Don't feel too bad for my middle son, though--he just returned from two weeks in Japan!). Since we rented the same house as last year, you can click here to see photos of the giant beach house where we made our home for the week. Here are some photos I took this year, including a day trip to Currituck Beach Lighthouse.

The view from the gazebo at the beach house

Looking down the beach at Corolla, NC.

The Currituck Beach Lighthouse

Another view of the lighthouse

A view from the top of the lighthouse

Gazing down at the lighthouse keeper's home

Looking down through the winding 220 step lighthouse

It was quite a relaxing week overall, although with 25 people at dinner each night, things got a bit loud for me! I don't know about you, but I really enjoy my quiet time and with that many people in a house, you don't get much of it... I did manage to walk on the beach several mornings which seemed to agree with my plantar fasciitis. My heel felt much better down there than it has since I got home!

But, I so needed that time away... As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I had a couple of odd health issues to deal with in early August (an emergency root canal due to something called "External Root Resorption." Ever hear of it? Me either! And a diagnosis of Schamberg Disease as a result of some odd pinprick rashes that have been popping up on my legs and thighs. Don't google photos of it--mine looked nowhere near that bad and have disappeared--for now! Apparently, there is no cure, but I'm just hoping mine remains a light case). Neither of these are horrible--just rare and weird. The doctor who did my root canal was so thrilled to see a case of External Root Resorption that he called his 18-year-old son in to witness the procedure... And the dermatologist exclaimed excitedly that she hadn't seen anyone with Schamberg Disease in over two years! Apparently, I'm a rarity--ha ha!!

I hope those of you in the United States have a fun and relaxing Labor Day Weekend... Do you have any special plans? I'm just hoping this spell of lovely weather continues on through September. We sure could use it before winter sets in. Thank you all for stopping by today and a warm welcome to my new followers--so glad you're here! Bye for now...

76 comments:

Good for you all! Such a wonderful thing for that many family members to get away and enjoy a vacation together.Your finishes are great Carol. I love the one you made for Lois. Are spider web roses fun?!

Lovely stitching Carol, I love the forgotten Santa, he's sweet! Glad to hear you enjoyed some hot weather and a nice holiday, what a big family affair!! Glad to hear the health issues are under control too.

So wonderful to read you again, my dear friend! And right that day, where I have some time for blogging and reading and commenting ….Thank you for these lovely beach photos - the only thing I missed this summer, was the sea (and the beach). I am really pleased to read of your wonderful holiday in NC. And I love your finishes. Your TPS-Santa is really amazing. Those little things you changed make him so much more personal!Dear Carol - you ARE a rarity indeed - even without these weird health issues.

OMG, doctors can be so weird when it comes to rare cases. lol! What a bummer for you in both cases!! My son's ENT was so thrilled with my son's rare case as well -- he still talks about it with every visit.

Love seeing pics of your vacation. 25 people -- wow! I need to go check out the house. My father is talking about getting the whole gang together for Christmas! Love your stitching finishes too. It figures you would already be finished with the 2014 PS Santa. I still need to order my copy. lol! Lovely gift for Lois, and lovely finish for your neglected Santa too!

Your ocean is so very pretty! Our ocean water is, well lets just say is cold and not very pretty...Love your Santa, can hardly wait to stitch mine. I like the fabric that you used too. The little scissor fob is absolutely beautiful! I hope your foot gets better very soon, you might need some of those shoes that I saw! Enjoy your nice weather.....

Oh my Carol...I hope your tooth and all is much better now :( dental issues, scare the daylights outta me! Your trip photos are gorgeous...although I'll admit 25 people in one house...oh my! I bet there are a whole lot of personalities to deal with :) Your Santa is gorgeous. I want to get mine all stitched up ASAP! for my tree this year too! Stunning stitching and finishing as usual! Have a great weekend and a stunning September!

I'm glad you are doing better, dear friend. I enjoyed seeing the finishes and most especially your beach trip pictures. Makes me want to be there too. How fun to have that much family. I can count mine on one hand now.

I'm glad you had some time away after such a stressful health month. I'm glad things are clearing up! Your stitching is lovely as always. I'm always so impressed with your finishes. They are so professional!! Thanks so much for sharing!

Hiya Carol!I am so glad you enjoyed your much-needed break - your photos look lovely! Your stitching as always is terrific - I love it all, especially the Prairie Schooler Santa.Thank you so much for you lovely e-mail - I will reply soon.Take care of yourself and have a wonderful weekend!Much love,Lynda.

thanks so lot for visiting me and for your heartwarming words on my blog.I was so very happy to read and see here from you again.It is a great happiness to unite a large family, but I can I also understand if it was you sometimes too loud and a little too much for you. Your beach photos are so beautiful.I'm sorry to hear that you have health problems. Since one year I have many problems with my heel to, it's a plantar fasciits, like you have.

Your Christmas ornaments are so cute, as all your lovely works.You did right, when you changed the pattern of TPS a little. Santa looks perfectly in this way!

Dear Miss Rare and Interesting......! I, of course, have NO stitched but not finished pieces tucked away in drawers and if you believe that I can sell you a palace in the UK, lol! Gorgeous finishes and neat changes to to the chart. Spent a week in Duck many years ago and loved it. Glad you had a good time.

A post well worth the wait! Love your CC Santa mitten finish - perfect backing fabric and cording as always. Really like the Ewe & Eye & Friends and PS as well. Looks as though you had a wonderful vacation.

Hi Carol,Great finishes! The little santa mitten, I think I have that pattern. He looks adoreable all stitched up. Your vacation looks fabulous. There is nothing more relaxing then a vacation on the beach.Take Care

Stitching and finishes are just lovely, as usual!! Those spider web roses are so pretty. I love the lighthouse pictures. When I went on family events with my DH I had the same feelings as you did, not quite enough quiet time. He has 8 siblings! I grew up with only one.

Love this post Carol, apart from the health issues and do hope they do as they're told and stay away!Such beautiful stitching and your finishing is always so professional.Never seen or heard of Spider Web Roses and need to go check them out pronto ~ that stitch is so so pretty.Your beach photos have me drooling, have so missed our trip to The States this year but after your pictures I can feel the sun and hear the waves ~ thank you.Take Care and don't go AOL again!!!Love Jane x

YES I missed you:) Love all the pretty changes you made on a great finish of Caroling Santa! Your spider roses look fantastic and love how you made it a sweet lovely fob!Awe cute find - Santa Mitten. Great family reunion and so happy you were able to get medical help you needed. Hope your feeling much better. love Annette

Love the Santa, this is really fun and the way you put him together is lovely. Yes, we do all have unfinished bits and bobs. I am determined to finish a Winnie the Pooh design I have just taken out of my drawer that I began making for my daughter when she was a baby, she will be 18 at Christmas!

Great to hear you got to relax a bit at the beach ~ how fun! We have always been big on lighthouses and have seen quite a few over the yrs. while on vacation. They are all so different, but filled w/such history.Love your new finishes ~ they are always so sweet and cute!Hope your holiday wkend is a great one! It has gotten hot/humid here this wk.

The finishes are just adorable Carol. The lighthouse is adorable. How nice you had time with the family. Doctors getting excited about odd things you have, well doesn't make you feel special. :) And into september we go my friend.

Hi Carol! It is always great to see a post from you. I am so glad your vacation went well. I am sure dinners were eventful with twenty-five people! What a wonderful tradition.Your finishes are beautiful! I also have such a soft spot for the PS Santas. I have not done the Spider Web Roses but I recently saw them on one of Shakespeare's Peddler blog for her 'Sweet Temper' sampler. You did a beautiful job and such a cute fob! It is impossible not to love the Cricket Collection mittens.I am so sorry about your health issues. I had not heard of either of them (but of course I had to google them)! I hope that's the end of health issues for you. Thanks as always for taking the time to blog and for the ongoing joy and pleasure that you inspire.Wishing you health, quiet time and stitching time!hugs, Wanda

Love that Santa, Carol ! I am stitching him too ..he is so cute ! Glad you had a nice trip ..so sorry about the health things ! Hope you are doing better ! Can't wait to see your big piece you are working on ! Hope you are having a nice Labor Day weekend !

Love, love the beautiful stitching and finishing!! Thank you for sharing pics of them as well as your vacation - gives me a glimpse of a place I wouldn't otherwise see. Glad you are posting again; always enjoy hearing from you!

Hi Carol. As usual, I love seeing your finishes. The PS Santa is adorable. As far as the beach, you can never go wrong with southern beaches. Sadly, beach week seems to speed up time wise. Sorry to hear about your rare and weird health issues. Root canals must be the hot item right now, I just had one last week. Happy Labor Day to you!

Oh Carol, welcome to my world. I can never have a straightforward trip to the doctors. I always have something weird and wonderful wrong with me! ;0) On a serious note, when we lost our baby girl, the condition she had was a 1 in 100,000 occurrence so lots of doctors wanted to be present during the scans I had. I did feel like a guinea pig at times, but if it means that families don't have to go through what we went through, it doesn't seem like too much of an imposition. Your holiday looks fabulous. We haven't taken a family holiday abroad since Iris was 5 months old. We are going to be brave next year and book a holiday to Malta. It's a home away from home for me and I feel bad that the children have never visited the island.Love your finishes. I am always in awe of your finishes on 40ct. The santa on black is so adorable.

Love your PS Santa!! Wonderful photos from your week at the beach, looks like it was a lot of fun spent with family! Hope you are feeling much better now, it sounds like you had some bumps in the road healthwise this summer. Hope you had a good Labor day!

I really get inspirataion to start to plan some Christmas ornament stitching again. I have one ornament as aslow WIP and really would love to start one from the last years issue of Just Cross Stitch Christmas Ornaments.It is called Peace on earth by Niky's Creations :)

Thought you must of been away as I hadn't seen a post from you in a while. It looks a lovely place where you stayed. You have created some beautiful finishes, especially the PS Santa. However the Ewe and Eye piece is just wonderful, the colours are gorgeous, pink and greens ... yummy. Sorry to hear you have not been well, there is always something isn't there. :) Hopefully the warmer weather will bring a bit of joy to your days before the Autumn/Winter season.

Hi Carol, I've been away for 10 days and returned to find your post. Your PS santa ornament is perfect. It makes me want to start decorating for that season (but not what else goes with it!) I am impressed with your first try at spider web roses. Again a perfect finish. And such beautiful beach pictures. I agree with you about quite time. It must be so very special to spend that time with family in such a beautiful place. Hope you are doing well. Until next time...

I know how it is to be away from blogging and blog reading . It's good for a while but when you start missing to hear from all these people it's time to come back. I have been away from the computer since my last blog post but since today I'm back, too.

Your new ornaments are so gorgeous, particularly the new PS Santa. He's such a sweet guy and it's the first time that I see him stitched. I even haven't bought the chart. Yet. Like you I finish all my PS Santas with some red cording, I like them best this way. And yes, you are not the only one with a huge box full of unfinished stitched pieces. I had to give up stitching for a while if I tried to finish my pieces in a row, lol. I'm looking forward to seeing what you will pull out of that box next. Btw, your roses on Lois' scissor finder are so perfect. Great job.

Thanks for sharing all these wonderful pictures from the family get-together in North Carolina. What a wonderful place this is. Everyone must have felt like in paradise.

I'm sure that you could get along great without the fact that you are a rarity concerning your health problems, lol. I hope that the rash will stay away for as long as possible and that your next root canal is a normal one - or let's hope that you won't have one anymore.

Beautiful finishes Carol! All of them! I still have to get that cord winder at some point. Makes life easier doesn't it?! Glad you took some time to go and have a vacation. Lighthouses are amazing to me and I love seeing the variety of lighthouses around the world. I really hope your health issues go away. They don't sound very common and no, I won't google photos! That's usually the worst thing to do! Take care my dear!

Carol your embroideries are beautiful as always. Embroidering on count 40 for my free magnifier is impossible, try it in the car is impossible. Beautiful photos of the beach. 25 people for dinner for several days is a lot of work. I had not heard of this disease you mention, I hope that despite being rare, you recover your plantar fasciitis and leave you walking.This lighthouse is very pretty and has lots of stairs, the top views beautiful Take care of yourself. Many kisses.

What a lovely vacation away. It looks like you had a great vacation. As for the wierd health issues, I am so glad that they have been dealt with and you are on the other side. Lovely finishes as always!

Wonderful finishes, as always. I'm catching up on my favorite blogs and came across yours. It was a coincidence that I just purchased this PS Santa this weekend. I have every one although they aren't all stitched! Those spider stitches look perfect! Sorry about the medical issues, I'm a hygienist, although only do Ortho for 30 years and I can say I've heard of external resorption, but haven't seen it. Hope you are all recouped by now!

You certainly made up for not blogging more in August! Cute Santa ornies you have! Finished as gorgeous as always. And it looks like your trip to Corolla was a great one! Wish I could get to a beach and relax right now... Glad your health issues are not major for you! It's NO good to have major stuff going on... takes a LOT out of you and your family, as I can attest right now. I am way behind in reading blogs, so am mostly reading and not always commenting... Til next time, Hugs!

Stitching on 40 ct. in a car? Are you crazy, woman? LOL But starting off the day with stitching sounds just lovely, and perhaps makes up just a little for the crazy dinners? I do like the changes you've made to the piece. I like personalizing pieces to make them unique - nobody else in the world has exactly that same piece.

LOVE the spiderweb roses - specialty stitches may sometimes be tedious and tricky, but they add such interest to a piece.

Glad you were able to visit the Currituck Lighthouse. It was one of our first stops on our OBX honeymoon and it's such a beautiful, peaceful setting. And I even found a cross stitch chart in the gift shop that we brought home as a souvenir.

Leave it to you to have rare and exotic health issues. :-) Hope you're feeling better by now!

Welcome!

Welcome ~ I'm so glad you've dropped in for a visit! I love getting to know fellow cross stitchers from around the world, discovering new stitching blogs, and being inspired by your work. I hope you enjoy your visit today and thanks for taking the time to say "hello!"Carol